Crews working on the new greenbelt extension between Garden City and Boise unearthed an apparent illegal oil or fuel dump last Friday.

The dump, which consisted of contaminated soil of an unknown depth ringed by cinder blocks, was on the south side of the Boise River between Fairview and Chinden.

“You can clearly see that it’s contaminated,” said IRU Conservation Director Kevin Lewis. “Now is the time to do the right thing for this site and the Boise River.”

Lewis said IRU has reached out to the Idaho Transportation Department, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the city of Boise to determine what next steps will be taken in cleaning up the site.

“Our concern is ensuring that proper remediation takes place because these materials can easily find their way into the Boise River,” Lewis said.